Reparations
by stocktonwood
Summary: An epilogue to Hunter's Moon. There was a war, it was fought, it was won. Now all that's left is to make reparations.


_A/N: Howdy y'all and welcome to an epilogue to the Justice League Unlimited episode entitled "Hunter's Moon." _

_This piece contains spoilers, so if you haven't seen the episode, proceed with caution._

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or the universe in which they exist. Any characters mentioned in the piece below are property of DC Comics. No infringement is intended so please don't sue me, because honestly, I don't have anything anyone else could possibly want. Unless of course you share my affinity for vintage sock collecting._

_Now that all those unpleasant legalities are out of the way, please enjoy and if you could, let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading!_

* * *

**Reparations**

Shayera moved down the corridors more slowly than usual that night.

She'd like to have thought it was because she'd proved herself a bit and no longer had to walk quickly through the halls, avoiding as many eyes as possible like some sort of criminal, but deep down she knew the real reason for her leisurely pace.

She dreaded arriving at her destination, and she was determined to delay arrival as long as possible.

But, she reminded herself, she was no coward and she'd face this head on or die trying.

Vixen's words may have seemed harsh at the time, but they hadn't been wrong.

For some time now she hadn't been acting like Shayera Hol. She couldn't keep running from her problems, she needed to start facing her problems head on.

Like the old Shayera would.

And, there was no time like the present.

So, she took a deep breath and continued on her way.

A few inquiries among the medical staff confirmed what she'd expected, he'd already been discharged and was resting in his quarters.

She wished his quarters were farther from the medical bay because before she knew it, she was standing in front of his door.

Hand poised to knock, a sound from inside stopped her short.

It was a guitar.

Sweet and twangy, it was being strummed in a lazy rhythm for awhile until a voice finally joined it.

Sweet and twangy, the voice matched the guitar perfectly.

Shayera couldn't help but be impressed by the seamless way the voice and the guitar played off each other, one swooping in where the other left off.

She knew she shouldn't have, but she listened anyway.

It was a love song.

A love song about mountains and sunsets and wide open spaces.

It occurred to her then that it was a love song not just about a place, but about a home.

And that realization made her think.

How would someone who sang so earnestly about his love for wide open spaces have fared in the Thanagarian detention centers?

Not for the first time, she regretted her actions as yet another nameless victim suddenly had a face and name and a story.

It wasn't until the chords died away and the voice faded to an echo that Shayera realized the song was over and she'd been standing with her ear pressed against his door for several minutes, no doubt looking quite peculiar to any passerby.

Taking a deep breath, she galvanized her courage, and as the chords of a new song rang out, she rapped politely on the door.

The music cut off abruptly and Shayera couldn't help but feel bad for intruding on his free time.

In their line of work, they got precious little as it was.

She pushed the thought aside though, as his distinctly twangy voice called out.

"Hold on, just a second!"

Some hurried shuffling and the sound of limping steps could be heard and then the door slid open with a hiss.

"Howdy! What can I do-"

His cheery tone cut off abruptly when he saw who his guest was.

An uncomfortable moment passed as one regarded the other.

It would have stretched on indefinitely if Mrs. Saunders hadn't made sure her boy was raised right, with good manners so ingrained that once taught, were hard to ignore.

With a polite tip of his hat Vigilante stepped aside to let Shayera pass.

"H- Shayera, ain't you a surprise? Please, come on in ma'am. What can I help ya' with?"

Shayera hesitated in his doorway for a moment. She was impressed, Vigilante was a cooler customer than she'd given him credit for.

She allowed him to lead her in, being mindful of his impeded gait and slowing hers to match.

Actually, she was glad for it. Moving slowly gave her the chance to take in her surroundings.

Of course the room was the same size as every other League member, but the few personal touches here and there were what interested her.

One entire wall was taken up by an enormous television, and judging from the speakers scattered around the room, it would seem that Vigilante liked his surround sound.

Against another wall, sat a large train case that looked as if it was older than both Vigilante and Shayera combined.

There wasn't much in the way of furniture, but what there was seemed large, leather and comfortable.

There were four chairs altogether, but one was currently being occupied by a handsome guitar snuggled cozily against it's cushions.

As Vigilante motioned for her to take a seat, Shayera noticed a few photos adorning his otherwise naked walls.

They seemed likely to be the place she'd heard him sing so fondly of just a few minutes ago, and fleetingly, she wondered if he lived there still.

Arranging her wings as she sat, she was so occupied with the plush softness of the leather that Vigilante's voice managed to startle her.

"Beggin' ya' pardon ma'am, but do ya' mind if'n I sit with my leg up? I wouldn't under normal circumstances, but doc's orders, ya' know?"

Surprised by the request, Shayera acquiesced immediately.

"Much obliged ma'am," he thanked her, with a tip of his hat.

But as his fingers grazed his brim, he stopped suddenly and with a quick motion he pulled his hat off completely and laid it in his lap.

Though his bandanna still covered most of his face, Shayera couldn't help but notice the quick spread of scarlet across his features as he apologized for his rudeness.

"Beg ya' pardon ma'am."

Not completely sure what he was apologizing for, Shayera was, nonetheless relieved to see that she wasn't the only one who was a bit nervous.

Still not completely sure how to start things off, Shayera was surprised when Vigilante, running a hand through his dark hair, started speaking first.

"Listen Shayera, I want ya' to know, I was wrong about you, you're a right good Leaguer who was just doing yer best to protect Vix and me. I was wrong to act the way I did, the way I treated ya' was plum disgraceful. I treated ya' unfairly and I wanna apologize.

You don't haveta accept, I reckon I'd deserve that, but I'm gonna say it just the same. I apologize and I hope you can forgive me."

Vig took a deep breath and waited for her response. He figured he'd laid it out as best he could, it was up to her now.

For her part, Shayera was flabbergasted. This hadn't been the way she'd expected things to go.

Now that she was there, she wasn't exactly sure _how_ she'd expected things to go down, but this option hadn't even been considered.

"Vigilante," she began slowly, "I don't expect you to apologize. You were justified in your feelings towards me-"

"No ma'am I sure wasn't. I talked to J'onn, he told me the whole story. You were stuck between a rock and a hard place, and ya' did the best ya' could. You didn't know their plans, and when ya' did, ya' helped the League out best ya' could. Ya' may be a Thanagarian ma'am, but yer Justice League through and through. That makes ya' alright in my book."

For a moment, all Shayera could do was sit in silence. When she finally found her voice again, she looked Vigilante dead in the eye as she spoke.

"Thank you Vigilante, it means a lot. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for what they did. To Earth, and to you."

Somewhere underneath his bandanna, Shayera saw his jaw twitch and as he dropped his gaze to the carpet, she was sorry she'd said anything about his imprisonment at all.

But when he spoke up again, she was glad she'd faced the issue head on.

"Ain't yer responsibility to apologize for any a' that ma'am, but I do 'preciate it just the same."

Letting a tiny smile peak out, Shayera extended a hand to Vigilante.

"Though I'm still not sure I deserve it, I appreciate yours too."

Vig took the offered hand and shook it warmly.

"I can live with that pardner."

Not wanting to wear out her welcome, Shayera left, leaving Vigilante with her wish that he feel better soon, which he, in one breath thanked her for, and in the next reminded her that it was, in his words, 'nothing but a little ole' scratch' and that he would be back in action in no time at all.

She hadn't argued, just smiled and shook her head as his door slid shut behind her.

She stood there for a long moment, proud of herself for stepping up and facing the problem head on. In her opinion, it couldn't have gone better.

As the sound of a twangy guitar wafted from the room behind her, Shayera was reminded of something Superman had told her when she'd first returned to the League.

Earning back Earth's trust would be a long and difficult road, but if she was brave enough to try, it could be done, she'd just have to do it one person at a time.

As she strode confidently done the halls of the Watchtower, Shayera smiled to herself.

"One down..."


End file.
